Many Ramayanas: The Diversity of a Narrative Tradition in South AsiaPaula Richman Throughout Indian history, many authors and performers have produced, and many patrons have supported, diverse tellings of the story of the exiled prince Rama, who rescues his abducted wife by battling the demon king who has imprisoned her. The contributors to this volume focus on these "many" Ramayanas. While most scholars continue to rely on Valmiki's Sanskrit Ramayana as the authoritative version of the tale, the contributors to this volume do not. Their essays demonstrate the multivocal nature of the Ramayana by highlighting its variations according to historical period, political context, regional literary tradition, religious affiliation, intended audience, and genre. Socially marginal groups in Indian society—Telugu women, for example, or Untouchables from Madhya Pradesh—have recast the Rama story to reflect their own views of the world, while in other hands the epic has become the basis for teachings about spiritual liberation or the demand for political separatism. Historians of religion, scholars of South Asia, folklorists, cultural anthropologists—all will find here refreshing perspectives on this tale. |
Contents
The Diversity of the Rāmāyaṇa Tradition | 3 |
Five Examples | 22 |
Hindu and Buddhist Traditions | 50 |
The Mutilation of Surpanakhā | 67 |
The Testing of Sītā in Kampans Irāmāvatāram | 89 |
Womens Oral Tradition in Telugu | 114 |
PART THREE TELLINGS AS COMMENTARY | 173 |
The Secret Life of Ramcandra of Ayodhya | 217 |
Their Use of the Ramcaritmānas | 235 |
LIST OF CONTRIBUTORS | 257 |
Other editions - View all
Many Ramayanas: The Diversity of a Narrative Tradition in South Asia Paula Richman Limited preview - 1991 |
Many Ramayanas: The Diversity of a Narrative Tradition in South Asia Paula Richman Limited preview - 2023 |
Many Ramayanas: The Diversity of a Narrative Tradition in South Asia Paula Richman No preview available - 1994 |
Common terms and phrases
A. K. Ramanujan Ahalyā Asian audience Ayodhya Bengali bhajan bhakti Bharata Brahmin brother Buddha Buddhist caste chanting characters context culture Dasaratha David Shulman demon devotion divine Dravidian Durgā Dutt Dutt's epic episode essay example forest goddess gods Hanuman Hindi Hindu husband Indra interpretation Irāmāvatāram Jaina Jātaka Kampan Kerala killed king Kṛṣṇa Lakṣmaṇa Lanka līlā literary literature Lord Lutgendorf Madras Mahābhārata Mānas Maṇavāļamāmuni means Meghanāda Meghanādavadha Kāvya monkeys narrative North Indian oral parable performance Periyar poem poet political Pūjā puppet play rākṣasas Rām Rama Rāma story Rāma's Ramakien Ramayana Rāmāyaṇa songs Rāmāyaṇa tradition Rāmcaritmānas Rāmnāmīs rasik Rāvaṇa recited religious ritual role sage salvation Sanskrit scholars sect Sītā Sītā's Śiva smṛti South India Śrī Śrīvaiṣṇava śruti story of Rāma Studies Surpanakha ṭakkar Tamil tellings Telugu Tenkalai Thai Theravāda tion translation University Press Vālmīki Vedas verses versions Vibhīṣaṇa vidvāns wife woman women words